In this ever-changing world that we live in social media has become one of the most helpful tools marketers have available to themselves. Due to these quick changes in the way we market large and small businesses alike have had to adapt quickly. Integrating social media into their current marketing strategies was important. Marketers were also forced to rethink or revamp parts of their marketing plans that are out-of-date.

According to Jeremy Smith, a blog writer for Salesforce Blog,” only one in five Small Businesses (SMBs) regularly use the platform to engage customers, and only 47 percent rate their brand awareness on social media as strong. But it doesn’t have to be as daunting or as hard as some might believe.” Below is a list of three small businesses that have integrated social media into their marketing plans and reaped the benefits of fully leveraging the marketing tools available to them:

Cupcake Royale

Cupcake Royale is a very well-known specialty cupcake bakery in Seattle, Washington. The company has done an incredible job of branding themselves, each location decorated in bright pink, with a logo that has a crown. According to Andrew Raso, Cupcake Royale not only uses cross-channel promotions to boost their followers on platforms like SnapChat. They also use social media to get their fans involved in the business.

Below are some of the strategies and tactics Cupcake Royale implemented:

• When it’s time to change up the menu, Cupcake Royale engages their audience to provide suggestions for new flavors.
  • This is a great social media strategy
    • It shows consumers you are actively listening to what they have to say

Check out Cupcake Royale’s Facebook to see a selection of their yummy treats.

Edge Body Boot Camp (Fitness)

Edge Body Boot Camp is a fitness base small business located in a small variety of cities in Indiana, Kentucky, and Nebraska. This fitness company uses Instagram and Facebook to create relevant content to foster a social media presence. On Facebook, Edge Body Boot Camp’s strategy is to create a sense of community by incorporating members into their content. These personal connections help to create brand loyalty and repeat customers.

According to Belkin, Edge Body Boot Camp’s pictures posted on Facebook receive 53 percent more likes than the average post. This goes to show that their consumers engage more frequently when the post includes a photo. This is important information that any small business can utilize for their social media.

Eileen Lanza

From personal experience, it’s safe to say that most marketers end goal is to drive consumers either to a purchase or to the main website. When using social media as a marketing tool, you want the sole purpose of a post to be driving them back to your main website. In fact, “92 percent of all user interactions on Twitter are in the form of click links, which can be formatted as either a hashtag or a link to an external website.”

Eileen Lanza, a small Los Angeles based real estate company incorporates this knowledge effectively:

• Eileen utilizes hashtags at the beginning tweets
• As well as at the ending of tweets with a second external link
• Most of her posts are also accompanied by great imagery
  • Which we learned earlier is an effective tool for posting on social media

Now that you have some examples of how your small business can be successful at social media, get out there and start making a change. As Smith said social media doesn’t have to be as daunting or as hard as some might believe. One of the best things a small business can do is just start. Just as you did with your business. Even if you start small, actively participating and engaging consumers from different mediums is going to put your small business ahead of the curve.

Category: Advanced Tactics, Blogging, SEO, Social Media Marketing 101